This thesis is concerned with case in German free relative clauses. Specifically, it is concerned with different case combinations between the covert head and the relative pronoun. Previous research provided evidence for two construction-specific preferences (Hierarchy Rule, Case Matching Rule) exclusively using offline methods. This thesis replaces the previous preferences which mostly solely describe empirical data with theoretically based and empirically corroborated universal, construction-independent violable preferences (Subset Preference, Specificity Preference) explaining empirical data. Further, it identifies the universal, construction-independent Proto-Agent first preference to be operative in German free relative clauses. This preference is especially crucial for online methods as it its influence is most palpable in incremental processing. The three identified preferences are assumed to interact with each other. Optimality Theory provides a powerful tool to capture and model the results of the three-part study of this thesis and to account for the assumed interaction of the three identified preferences. The approach of this thesis to use construction-independent preferences and opting for Optimality Theory can describe and explain most of the data of previous offline methods and of the online method of this study
